Date: May 25th and 26th, 1991.
Place: Hastings, UK.
Organisation: Stu Dawkins
Hastings was the venue for the Backyard/BFA ramp jam -Backyard being an extremely cool bike/skate shop in Hastings run by rider Stuart Dawkins, and the BFA being the UK's version of the AFA. The ramps in question were a couple of halfpipes, one being a midi sized ramp at 16 feet wide, with 9 feet transitions cut down to 8 feet tall (so it is just undervert). The other ramp was of more biblical proportions; metal surfaced, 32 feet wide, 10 feet transition with a foot and a half of vertical. This puppy is large. The midi ramp is tucked behind the vert one, and the site is on top of a bill overlooking the son front. It is said that on a clean day you can see France from the ramps platforms, yet this is simply a sarcastic description of the somewhat large size of the vert ramp.
One ramp contest s never enough here, so both ramps were used creating two contests in one; riders could enter vert or midi or both, and it they entered both they could win the overall. Three groups on each ramp, based on ability: C, B or A. Prize money was put up by Backyard for the A group -one hundred pounds were up for grabs (a couple hundred dollars)
Into the killer B's. If the term 'bloody well mental' is applied to UK riders, then Juice would be a firm example. Big airs like inverts and turndowns, tyre taps, manuals, and a 540 an easy four feet out -remember this is an undervert ramp we're talking about. Tim Buck learnt nosepicks, 180 abubacas, and bar spin roll-ins during his two runs, whilst (Mad) Jon Taylor was content with peg grinds to fakie amongst other things (other things being rolling new deals and nosepicks, yet he doesn't have a front brake. He does nosepicks by sticking his foot on the front tyre. Also nose bonk reentries from carved 3ft out airs go figure). Steve Geall is astonishingly smooth: airs, manuals, and all the necessary tricks done as if he was born with Jive Handles in his hands. Tim Bone likes to slam his lip tricks down, smith stops, disasters, tyre taps, grinds, all done with confidence and maximum noise.
The professionals took to the u-bend next. Man of the match Stuart Dawkins (Club Albert) funded and built the ramp and knew it like his own child (if he had one). Airs, taps, noise, and an attempt at a smith stop to revert. James Hudson (Vision/Haro) knows every single lip trick known to mankind and can pull them all off as if he doesn't care. Think of a trick involving the deck/coping and James does it. Mark Atkins (GT/Invert) beefed bigger than a Whopper at Burger King during practice, hanging up his front wheel on a five foot bio air, yet was back in the running during his runs: 540 disasters, nosepick to decade drop in, 540 manuals, manuals, tailwhip air. Jamie Bestwick (Dyno/Vision) flowed with the grinds, the rolls, the smith grinds, the feeble grinds, the nosepick to smith, the cherokee airs, the lookbacks, the smoothness. Jamie won-but it was close.
After the midi ramp contest came a brief break in the proceedings, which allowed for a number of things: Lunch. Restroom. Vert practice. Midi sessioning. Informal flatland contest.
Tim Bone 180 abubaca -fufanu.
Midi ramp B group: 1.Tim Bone 2.Steve Geal 3.John Taylor 4.Tim Ruck 5.Juice 6.Dave Mousley 7.Phil Evans 8.Nigel Cracknell 9.Ellis Mysron
Midi ramp A group: 1.Jamie Bestwick 2.Mark Atkins 3.James Hudson 4.Stuart Dawkins
Effraim Catlow cabooses on the pedal up on the tennis courts.
Flat: 1.Andy Mann 2.Effraim Catlow 3.Mark Atkins
B group saw Carlo Griggs protege Spencer Tomsett bust with the big moves: turndowns, one hand one foots, cherokees, disasters, the biz'. He has a bio smooth riding style which should go far. Steve Geall again showed how smooth he was with a couple of which bore close ressemblance to his midi ramp runs -that should indicate the natural riding ability we're dealing with here. Jason Turner, another local to Griggs' ramp Iookbacks, tyre taps, the stuff for third. Following close behind, were Dave Mousley, Phil (local) Evans, that man Jon Taylor again, and Nigel Cracknell. All totally good riders.
Onto the professionals once more, each one earning six figure sums each year for riding their bikes. Crikey. We lie. Mike Hudson (Haro/Vision), younger bro of James, scored well with the ladies via manly moves such as smith grinds and rear peg picks. Simon Tabron (Invert), complete with dreads scored even better and no doubt pulled: disasters, turndowns, candybars grinds smooth 540s, and a 900 which just went a little wrong. Mark Atkins (GT/Invert) stunned the present populace with nose picks (on 1 1/2 ft of vert), tailwhip airs, turndowns and more. A very chrome GT indeed. Stuart Dawkins (Backyard) still the man of the match, carved like crazy, smith grinded, tailwhip aired and did big disasters. James Hudson (Haro/Vision) finished second, but maybe he should have won. Let the run decide; carved variations, grinds of every description (some alley ooped even), manuals, new deals, a high clean 540, an equally clean tailwhip air, and a backwards backwards drop-in (as shown in GO Random Disruptive Sequence a while ago). Jamie Bestwick (Dyno/ Vision) won with pure riding like extended cherokees, upside down inverts, turndowns, rockets, supermans, peg grinds, feeble grinds, smith stops, and the odd manual here and there . Oh well.
Contest results are always controversial -that fact is as old as freestyle itself.
The end of the contest didn't mean the end of the action, no sir people pulling the tricks they had mucked up on during the contest and Gerry Galley attaining an ease 10 feet out on a borrowed bike (he hung up on saturday destroying his 48-spoke wheel), and this was on the 8ft tall undervert midi ramp. The party never stops.
A Group winner Jamie Bestwick cherokees like a wild brave on bad peyote.
Vert C group: 1.Richard Brown 2.Geoff Skinner 3.Andy Pearce 4.Robert Fish 5.Dave Bishop 6.Paul Winfield
Vert B group: 1.Spencer Tomsett 2.Steve Geall 3.Jason Turner 4.Dave Mousley 5.Phil Evans 6.Jon Taylor 7.Nigel Cracknell
Vert A group: 1.Jamie Bestwick 2.James Hudson 3.Stuart Dawkins 4.Mark Atkins 5.Simon Tabron 6.Mike Hudson